A Virginia man and his attorney claim police hurt him so badly during a confrontation he needed five surgeries as a result of his injuries.
The incident was caught on camera, and now, the Hampton Police Division has finally released the video.
On May 14th, Andre Lloyd Wiggins, a 59-year-old Army veteran, was pulled over by Hampton, Virginia, police and asked to get out of his vehicle. On the footage, he is seen leaning over the van while one officer holds Wiggins’ foot in an attempt to remove his boot.
Wiggins, who is handcuffed, can then be seen losing his balance and toppling over. As a result of falling forcefully to the ground face-first, Wiggins broke his jaw, lost four teeth and nearly bit off his tongue, local WAVY reports.
He was never charged with a crime.
“[The officer] was shaking his head and he was apologizing to me,” Wiggins said. “He said he was so sorry about what had happened and he told me that there was a tape recording of the incident, and he also told me that I could get a copy.”
Monday, Wiggins’ family held a press conference, where his wife, Linda Wiggins, told reporters that her request to view the video had been denied
“While I’m not as angry today as I was then, I am still very disappointed in the Hampton Police [Division],” she said. “The lasting effects of some of his injuries are yet to be known.”
“We just want to see the tape,” Wiggins’ attorney James Ellenson clarified. “We haven’t filed a law suit yet. We are not 100 percent sure where we are going. We just want to see the tape.”
Hampton police released the video Monday afternoon, along with a press release that detailed the traffic stop. There is an intro before the footage plays where the department stresses its commitment to transparency.
